Archive for January, 2018

Hey, how about taking a few minutes away from arguing with your friends about “The State Of The Union” speech. Check out today’s podcast. It’ll give you a grin. And you know that when you grab a grin…you win.

WEEKEND! Today’s podcast is about how you look at things. All week long you’ve got to do “STUFF.” But there are things besides the “STUFF” you’ve got to do in life. Things like taste a dollop of cold whipped cream floating on top of a cup of steaming hot chocolate. Or listen to the changing sound when you drive under an overpass during a rain storm. Maybe say “Hi” and giving a smile to somebody who doesn’t have many friends…or maybe to a cop who’s been on his feet for a long time. How about suddenly remembering the lyrics to a song you like…and singing it right out loud. (Imagine there’s no heaven.) Or maybe your car’s window spray got all the gunk off on the first swipe. Wow. Have you ever found a long lost love letter in a pile of junk? There’s sometimes a last minute Hail Mary pass for a winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. Remember what it’s like when the shower water is warm and relaxing running down your face, and down your shoulders, and all the way down your back…just making mush of your muscles. Some days there is a white golden sunrise…and have you ever stopped your car to take a picture of a rainbow? I love the sound of red velvet and black lace falling to the floor at midnight… don’t you? Gratitude Attitude.

Friday means it’s time for Dick’s Details from today’s podcast. Dick’s Details is a bunch of totally unimportant stuff, for you to stuff in one ear, so you can squeeze the important stuff that’s driving your life nuts out the other ear, and you can grab a grin and win. Household tip: Wood smoke is a good skunk odor remover. I would think that would be especially true if the skunk involved was sitting on your couch in your living room, and your house was on fire. If the answer is “Now I can finish my alphabet soup in half the time”…what is the question? Don’t know do you. I’ll tell you in a minute. A mouse can fit through a hole the diameter of a ballpoint pen. But in the middle of a dark night, don’t confuse the mouse with a ball point pen. ‘Cause that’s not going to work. There is a species of beetle called an Agravation. Probably called that because they keep bugging people. The average American woman will spend 8 years of her life shopping. 8 of the most wonderful years she can imagine. The foil used to wrap one day’s production of Hershey’s kisses would cover 40 football fields. When I read that, I couldn’t get a picture of some guy by the name of Hershey, running down 40 football fields, blowing kisses to the fans. If the answer is “Now I can finish my alphabet soup in half the time” the question is, What differences have you noticed in your life after taking that speed reading course? Now I can finish my alphabet soup in half the time. Does anybody know who put the alphabet in that order? I mean instead of a b c d e f g, how come it doesn’t go z l x e p h? Just asking. Can you imagine what our telephone books would look like? Dick’s Details. They take your mind off your mind. A little housekeeping here: If you like these podcasts, or my spoken word story CDs at www.dicksummer.com or my book Staying Happy Healthy And Hot available at www.Amazon.com , please tell a couple of friends, because they might like them too, and you’d be doing me a favor. Thanks.

Here’s a question from today’s podcast. When you got up this morning, you probably did a mental check list of what you were going to do today. What priorities did you give each job that needed doing? What was that nut case in North Korea going to do to worry you? And how about that idiot in Washington? All things you needed to consider. But did you add what you’re looking forward to doing to the list? What are you going to do to add to your happiness, or the happiness of somebody you love? Even it it’s just making an appointment with someone special in your life to watch a full moon rise together. Or you might concentrate for just a moment on enjoying the feel of a soft rug under your bare feet. Or how about enjoying the possibility that your baby will finally manage to say, “Daddy?” Aren’t those things really more important to YOUR life right now than some nutcase in North Korea, or some business problem, or another whack attack crazy thing some Congress-person does in Washington? That’s the Gratitude Attitude. Give today’s podcast a listen. And give the Gratitude Attitude a try. There’s nothing to lose, and maybe something to gain.

We’re talking about the Gratitude Attitude in today’s podcast. Here’s what that means. A while ago, my buddy Mike and I were flying in my single engine airplane. Mike is a pilot too. He owns a twin engine plane. We were flying home from having lunch together. He was bitching about his business, and I was bitching about mine. Two ordinary guys, flying in a small private airplane, complaining, instead of enjoying each other’s company, and marveling at flying in a clear, windless, calm and beautiful day. How many ordinary guys get to do that in North Korea? For that matter, how many crazy Congress-people do that in Washington? Gratitude Attitude. Be properly grateful for what you’ve got.

Today’s podcast is a reminder about the power of the Gratitude Attitude. Gotta remember the Gratitude Attitude when some politician in Washington pulls an outstandingly stupid, or greedy trick. Gratitude Attitude…be glad you’re an American, so you really don’t have to sit at the top of your driveway with your shotgun to pick off a pack of bad guys storming up the block to hurt your lady, or yourself, or to take your stuff. At least not today you don’t. And probably not tonight either. Not even next week. One day/night at a time. Gratitude Attitude. This lady should remember the Gratitude Attitude. After all, the guy IS working on her car and her next trip should work out just fine.

Today’s podcast is about a Gratitude Attitude check up. Our Gratitude Attitude doesn’t mean looking at life through rose colored glasses. Bi-focals will do just fine. “Big Louie” the head guy in my book Staying Happy Healthy And Hot, keeps reminding us that we sometimes can’t help what’s happening in our lives, but we can help how we feel about our lives. I guess you could say it’s about taking charge of where we put our emotional focus. There is a nut case dictator in North Korea, and we need to recognize that threat. But not when there’s a scoop of cherry vanilla ice cream in a dish right in front of you. There’s a time and a place for everything. Dig in. Enjoy. And remember that not too many North Koreans have a dish of cherry vanilla ice cream in front of them. That’s the Gratitude Attitude. It’s all about how you look at things. Like these pictures.